As I was walking out of the library today, two small boys shuffling behind me, baby slung tight to my side, I passed a woman entering the library with her seven children, each about a year apart. I smiled at her as I inwardly laughed at all those who have hounded me this past year with such silly remarks as, "You sure have your hands full," "Are all of those yours?!" "Now that you've got your girl, I hope that you're done". Three. I have three children. Not three dozen, not even three half dozen. Just three. Such a small number when you start to put it into perspective.
I've discovered a jem of a book that just sparkles with joy and inspiration of motherhood. Things I Wish I'd Known Sooner, written by Jeraldeen Edwards, a mom of twelve, is helping me to bring things back into perspective. Listen to what she wrote back in the 70s when she was raising her brood in the midst of the women's lib movement and when many were touting the brilliance of zero population growth.
"When we care for an infant, we are dealing with matters of actual life and death; there is nothing casual, demeaning, or unimportant in anything we do."
During the 70s (and on, into today), motherhood was looked down on as just being about "dirty diapers and dirty dishes". Mrs. Edwards responded in this beautiful way to ensure readers that changing dirty diapers was not necessarily a demeaning or unimportant matter. Changing our infants' diapers is a way of showing love and care; a time to look in our babies' eyes, to interact, to play, to keep them healthy and clean. Thank you, Mrs. Edwards, for reminding me of my importance when I was feeling just about ready to quite my job as "head wiper" at this house!
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